While it’s possible to roughly estimate how long Demerol may stay in the system and how long it can be detected, time frames can still vary from person to person.
Article at a Glance:
Demerol is a brand-name opioid that is also sold under the generic name meperidine.
Demerol can be found in the urine for up to two days, and its breakdown product can be found in urine for up to four days.
Demerol can also be found in your blood, saliva and hair.
Demerol Showing up on Drug Tests
Demerol, a brand-name version of meperidine, is a prescription opioid medication used to treat pain. Demerol can be detected by drug tests, but the detection time varies depending on the type of drug test being used. The following provides an overview of how long Demerol stays in the system and factors that can affect detection times.
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How Long Does Demerol Stay in Your Urine, Hair and Blood?
The detection time frame for Demerol can vary widely based on which drug test is administered. Average time frames for different tests include:
- Urine:Demerol itself can be found in urine forup to two days. However, its breakdown product normeperidine can be found in urine forup to four days.
- Hair:Demerol can be found in a typical half-inch hair sample forup to 90 daysafter the last dose.
- Blood:Demerol can be found in blood forup to five hoursafter the last dose. However, normeperidine can be found in blood forup to 24 hours.
- Saliva:Demerol can be found in saliva forup to two daysafter the last dose.
Half-Life of Demerol
The half-life of a drug is how long it takes for your body to clear half of the substance. It typically takesfive half-livesfor a drug to completely leave your body.
Demerol’s half-life ranges anywhere fromthree to eight hours. However, its breakdown product normeperidine has a much longer average half-life of20.6 hours. This means that meperidine can stay in the body for up to 40 hours, and normeperidine can stay in the body for more than 100 hours.
Factors That Influence How Long Demerol Stays in Your System
While it’s possible to roughly estimate how long Demerol may stay in the system, time frames can still vary from person to person. Factors that can influence how long Demerol stays in the system include:
- Age:People aged45 or oldertypically excrete drugs from their systems more slowly than younger people.
- Kidney and liver health:People withkidney or liverproblems can have a harder time metabolizing and eliminating drugs like Demerol.
- Frequency of use:Demerol can accumulate in the system of a patient. If someone uses Demerol often, it may take longer for the drug to leave their system.
- Other substances:Other substances, includingalcohol, drugs and even certain foods and drinks, can make Demerol stay in the system longer. This is because Demerol has somedrug interactionsthat can make it last longer in the body.
Demerol Prescription Facts
Demerol is intended to treat moderate to severe pain and be used on an as-needed, short-term basis. The drug is about10 times weakerthan morphine.
Experts often recommendavoiding Demerolfor pain relief due to an increased risk of side effects, especially in older adults. Because Demerol carries the risk of psychological and physical dependence, doctors should go over a patient’s substance use history before prescribing it.
| Drug Properties | Demerol |
|---|---|
| Generic Names | Meperidine |
| Type of pain it can treat | Pain severe enough to require an opioid |
| Short-acting or long-acting | Short-acting (everythree to four hours) |
| Drug type | Opioid |
| Drug Schedule | Schedule IIcontrolled substance |
| Side Effects | Mood changes, constipation, tremor, seizure, slowed breathing |
| How long it takes to start working (oral route) | Within15 minutes |
| How long it takes to have its peak effect (oral route) | Withinone to 1.5 hours |
| Duration of effect (oral route) | Up tofour hours |
Demerol Regulations
Like most prescription opioids, Demerol is aSchedule IIcontrolled substance in the U.S. This means the drug has approved medical uses but also a high likelihood of severe misuse and dependence.
Physicians and pharmacists are warned to be careful when prescribing or dispensing this controlled substance — it is often sought by people with addiction and those who wish to divert it from medical use. Using Demerol without a prescription or in ways other than prescribed is illegal because it’s a controlled substance.
How Demerol Affects the Brain and Body
As an opioid painkiller (analgesic), Demerol changes the way the brain responds to pain. When the brain’s response to pain changes, the brain sends messages to the body that alter how the body experiences pain as well. Some people may also experience a euphoric feeling because opioids can trigger a release of dopamine into the brain and body. This can cause a reward and reinforcement response to begin, leading to the development of an addiction.
Demerol and other opioids also slow the central nervous system. This can cause people to feel drowsy, relaxed or even sedated. It can also cause a slowdown in essential functions, including heart rate and breathing.
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